The Funeral
by animequeen78
Summary: Artemis' 16th birthday is the day of her older brother Atticus' funeral. She gets a letter telling her of a gift he left for her.


It was Artemis' birthday, a week after Atticus' death. This birthday was about to be celebrated with a funeral. Friends and relatives that weren't witness to his death were going to attend as well.

She picked a black dress that was ruffly and girly, black socks with white lace on the end, black mary jane shoes, and a black hair bow. She got dressed more slowly than usual because of the sadness that took over her since her brother's death.

When she came downstairs, she lacked the energetic bound she used to have. She then stepped into the car with her uncle and they drove off to the cemetery.

When they were there, everyone was in somber outfits, matching the expressions on their faces.

The pastor did his speech and included the good memories the people at the funeral had of Atticus. Yuki held her fiance Logan close, both crying for her little brother's lost life.

Yuki remembered one Christmas when she saw Atticus give Artemis the first Rabbit Knight doll he made himself, Sir Floppy Ears. Atticus made up the characters and the stories to make Artemis happy. Atticus loved making his sister happy, which made Yuki even sadder, for he would no longer be there to do so.

Tony Stark remembered playfully antagonising Atticus about his technophobia, as well as his distaste for rock music, which Atticus viewed as "auditory fecal matter".

Colin remembered all the times he and Atticus enjoyed playing chess together, but also the times they would bicker about their views on modern technology.

Cale thought about the times that Atticus saw and praised his art. Atticus loved how Cale replicated the walls of an Egyptian tomb in Atticus' own bedroom. He always felt satisfaction when someone loved his handiwork.

Artemis remembered all the times he would tell her stories about the adventures of Sir Floppy Ears and his friends. She also remembered him confessing his feelings to her. _Why did he feel like that about me?_ She thought. Was it her kindness? She also remembered getting two live, neutered rabbits for her 13th birthday. She always fed them, groomed them, played with them and even told the stories Atticus told her involving Sir Floppy Ears.

After the funeral, Loki handed her an envelope. "It's from your brother. He told me to give it to you should anything like this happen to him." He said. Artemis took the envelope and hugged Loki. The hug caused him to feel guilty for resenting his own brother, Thor, when Artemis lost hers. He promised himself then he would never take Thor or their father for granted anymore. He placed his hand on Artemis' shoulder in an attempt to console her. He said to her, "It wasn't your fault your brother died. He did this because he loved you. He never wanted to lose you." "Was I really the reason he didn't kill Daddy?" Artemis asked. Loki responded, "Yes. You silenced the voices that would otherwise urge him to kill."

Artemis opened the envelope. The letter read:

_Artemis,_

_If you are reading this letter, then you know I am dead. I knew that I would die protecting you, but to me, it is more humane than continuing my life as a madman, with no one being able to calm my schizophrenia. You silenced the voices in my head that wanted me to kill Father. Without you, I would've become a murderer. I wouldn't be able to control it myself. For that I thank you. You set me free with your heart._

_Inside my room is a present I intended to give you for your 16th birthday. But due to my time, I would never have the opportunity to do so, nor would I have the opportunity to see your reaction to the gift. So I'm telling you where it is. It is in the only drawer on my writing desk, inside an ornate box. It was something I had held onto for a long time... A piece of you._

Artemis entered Atticus' room and found the single-drawered desk mentioned in his letter. She opened it and found the ornate box. She took the box out and closed the drawer.

Then she opened the box. It was the locket Atticus had. She opened the locket and found that he had kept a snippet of her hair from her first haircut Dante took her to get. He had kept it all along. Then Artemis realised that Atticus saw her heart as a valuable gem, one that couldn't be replaced.

She wore the locket around her neck, vowing never to forget how much her brother meant to her.


End file.
